Of Love and War
by tooth-and-claw
Summary: A series of drabbles for my role play partner of Lady Sif and Fandral the Dashing
1. Chapter 1

My roleplay partner gave me a drabble prompt and this is what came from it:

**Offer Me:** I'll write a drabble about my character giving yours a gift.

Once upon a time, it is said that the god of gold had fallen in love, or at least that is what the Midgardians believe. But it is impossible for one to fall in love when thy heart is made of gold; aye it is beautiful but cold and unforgiving.

There had been times growing up that Fandral had admired Sif, of course he would, Sif was the strongest, fastest, most able of all the training warriors, he trained with her as often as he could each day looking forward to returning to his home with a new bouquet of bruises. The other warriors laughed at both Sif, for being a woman warrior, and Fandral for losing to her, even though they refused to fight Sif they lost every match against Fandral, especially in swordsmanship. When questioned how he was so good he simply stated "I train with the best".

Soon came the day the training warriors where given their new ranks to serve Asgard as needed. Hogun, Volstagg and Fandral were to form a band of warriors to be known as the Warriors Three, three of the most skilled warriors in training, par Sif, to be a group that all of realms would call when in need, equal to that of Odin's own sons. Not that this was an issue for Fandral, he and Thor got on well, along with Hogun and Volstagg, he tried to make room in their group for Loki but Loki would not have it. Fandral's only wish was that Sif could join their group. Soon though, through Thor's efforts Sif became a recognized warrior of the All-Father. But to become a full warrior she was to complete a might quest only the bravest, or unluckiest, warriors were given. To slay a mighty monster that was terrorising humans on Midgard, in Sif's case a dragon made entirely of gold, and could breathe flames burned hotter than a dwarf star from each of its nine heads, it was known as Gorinwinch. Traditionally Thor would accompany the warrior-in-training to access the warrior's work and to help if required but he was to be sent on a quest of his own to Midgard to slay the giant snake Jormungand. As Thor could not accompany Sif he chose another to go with her to Midgard, Thor picked Fandral of the Warriors Three, a quest Fandral accepted readily.

Sif and Fandral spoke little as the time approached for their quest, constantly checking their equipment and horses, both uneasy as to what was to come and the very real prospect that they could both die. It wasn't until they were on the bi-frost awaiting Heimdall to send them to earth that Sif spoke to the swordsman "I never thanked you" she said, to him, patting her horse's neck reassuringly.

"For ever what?" Fandral queried, he could not think of anything.

"For everything, for sparing matches, for agreeing to come even though we could-" she stopped herself with a gulp.

"Sif it is nothing." But he was blushing furiously.

"Are you ready?" Asked the gate keeper Heimdall, they both nodded, a bright light appeared, all the colours of the rainbow and many more unnameable, as the light faded they were on Midgard. Fandral sighed with relief "come along" he said "we have a day's journey ahead"

"Well" Sif started, rubbing her lower back, sore from a day of riding "it appears to be night, I suggest we find shelter perhaps?", Fandral nodded, "very well, I think I see lights ahead, let us seek a meal and find where this terrible beastie lives" She smiled at him.

Fandral knocked on the house door, it opened to find a dwarf's home "kind sir, I am Fandral the Dashing of the Warriors Three and this is Lady Sif, we seek shelter from the night and to know of the dragon Gorinwinch "

The dwarf let them enter and told them all he knew. Gorinwinch was a horrible dragon whose belly could not be pierced by anything, it's nine heads constantly fighting and snapping at each other causing its faces to be horribly scarred and it was said Gorinwinch was once a mortal man whose love had been turned to gold by a curse placed on Gorinwinch's head, but nobody really believed the tale. "I will make a deal with you" the dwarf said "as you do not seek the treasure, give it to me and I shall take you as close to Gorinwinch as I dare and heal you if you survive. Deal?"

Fandral did not like this idea but before he could voice his conditions Sif had already agreed.

"Very well Lady" The dwarf smiled "let us be off as the beast will be sleeping now and unprepared for you".

They sat out into the forest on foot, the two warriors with nothing but their blades and the dwarf his bow and arrows, soon the plants became blackened and then merely rocks and ash. "I do not dare go closer as the sun shall rise soon" whispered the dwarf "but I shall return for you soon". Sif gave a curt nod, and pointed that Fandral should go ahead of her so she could watch his back.

As Fandral approached the cave mouth the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, something was wrong here, suddenly there was the sound of an arrow loosening and Sif screamed, Fandral spun around to find the dwarf had not left at all but shot Sif through the heart. The colour drained from her face and she fell to her knees, Fandral roared in outrage and the dwarf took off frightened as Fandral ran to Sif's side, gripping the arrow as it protruded from her chest. "Sif, Sif" he whispered as he held her in his arms "Sif, speak to me, tell me you will be ok" tears were rolling down his face now and dripping on to her cheek.

She smiled a little "yo-you look so beautiful" and then her gaze dropped and she grew still in his arms. Fandral sobbed into her flowing hair rocking back and forth with her in his arms "I won't leave you Sif, I can't" he told her over "I won't" and over "I can't leave you" and over.

So engrossed in his grief, Fandral failed to notice the giant beast Gorinwinch come up behind him,

**"I TOO WAS -"**

** "-ONCE IN LOVE"**

**"I TOO WAS -"**

** "-ONCE IN LOVE"**

**"I TOO WAS -"**

** "-ONCE IN LOVE"**

The beast rumbled, Fandral scrambled back but would not let go of Sif. He was so close he could feel Gorinwinch's hot breath, Fandral was close enough to eat in one bite.

**"LOVE IS A TERRIBLE -"**

**"- THING TO LOOSE"**

**"LOVE IS A TERRIBLE -"**

**"- THING TO LOOSE"**

**"LOVE IS A TERRIBLE -"**

**"- THING TO LOOSE"**

Gorinwinch sighed, arms reaching up and silencing all but two mouths

**"I WISH -"**

**"-TO HELP"**

**"BUT I -"**

**"NEED YOU-"**

**"-R HEART"**

Fandral looked terrified "m-my heart for what? What will you do?"

**"TO SAVE HER"**

**"SAVE HER"**

Fandral looked down to Sif laying cold in his arms "… I will die won't I?"

**"ARE YOU NOT -"**

**"-DEAD WITHOUT HER?"**

The dashing god gulped and nodded "I just want her to live" he whispered and removed the arrow from her chest as best he could through his tears as Gorinwinch looked on sadly. The dragon reached over to Sif breast and cut the heart from her chest, and removed her dead heart, Fandral could not watch this happen.

**"YOUR TURN NOW"**

**"YOUR TURN NOW"**

He nodded, opening his shirt, eyes shut tightly, then a sudden sharp, burning feeling touched his flesh over his heart, _for Sif, _he told himself over and over, feeling himself grow weak as his heart beat in the talons of the beast before being placed in Sif's chest, sealed with the head of the dragon's flames.

Sif gasped for air as the colour returned to her face but her eyes remained close, a small smile crossed Fandral lips as the world faded to black around him.

The great golden beast lifted its heads to the sky. _No more death. _It thought looking down at the two warriors, one's chest falling and rising slowly, the other's getting slower until stopping. Gorinwinch lifted a claw to its chest, the gold flesh melting away from its blazing talon. Gripping its large, solid gold heart Gorinwinch pulled, roaring in the pain. But soon golden blood oozed from its paw as the gold heart forever beat, placing it in the man's chest, sealing Fandral flesh closed with the last of Gorinwinch's fire. The beats fell heavily to the ground. Each of Gorinwinch's head smiled as it slowly died, but was able to watched the lovers waken confused and hugged head other, not remembering what had happened, or what the dying monster did for them. The dragon's eyes closed with its last, laboured breath and a smile on its face thinking of the lover who gave his whole heart.

Once upon a time, it is said that the god of gold had fallen in love, or at least that is what the Midgardians believe. But it is impossible for one to fall in love when thy heart is made of gold; aye it is beautiful but cold and unforgiving. Fandral would forever be changed by the golden heart he did not know he possessed; and Sif would never know of the boy who gave his heart so she might live.


	2. Chapter 2

My roleplay partner gave me a drabble prompt and this is what came from it:

Sif's eyes fluttered open as she regain consciousness, her chest felt like it was on fire, she gasped and sat up, remembering the searing pain as something shot through her chest. _The dragon must of ambushed them_ but when she checked she found no wounds par a scratch over her heart, she frowned looking around herself. Realizing Fandral was beside her she dove on him checking if he was alive, and smiled watching his chest rise and fall.

Fandral's eyes fluttered gently and he struggled to sit up, Sif had been awake for quite some time and was inspecting the giant golden carcass of the beast Gorinwinch, "Ah, finally you are awake Fandral, that is good to see" Sif smiled at him from over the beast's scaly body.

The warrior rose to his feet and walked to the dragon's body, he frowned as voices echoed in his memory, but as he tried to grasp it they vanished like smoke in his mind. "Sif…" Fandral whispered "I do not recall what happened… do you?" he rubbed his chin in thought.

Sif chewed her lip, "The beast obviously ambushed us no doubt, but we slayed it by cutting its soft underbelly" she pointed to the slash of open flesh that poured golden blood, "and we cut out the monster's heart, killing it".

The smoke of memory tugged at Fandral's mind, this story felt wrong but there was no other explanation for the event, and Sif's story was plausible. "Aye, tis what happened" Fandral turned his face to the sky "Heimdall!" he shouted "Take us home!" The two warriors and the dragon's body was yanked upward into a rainbow light and stood at the entrance of the bi-frost back at Asgard.

Heimdall watched the two carefully, but a not a word was uttered to either, Heimdall helped them carry the golden beast to Odin's throne room with the two warriors.

There was much rejoicing in Asgard on that day, the lady Sif herself had become one of the first women to become a warrior of Asgard, she and Fandral had killed a mighty dragon that all other's feared. The body was found to be entirely gold, but it had been once a man, its body had been sent to the smithy to be melted into weapons for Lady Sif, Thor, Odin, Loki, and the Warriors Three. It's nine heads carved up and melted into shields and amour, enough for Sif, Hogun, Volstagg, Fandral, Thor, Loki, Heimdall, Odin and Frigga. There was a large feast thrown in Lady Sif honour, it went for what seemed like days, but the events that had happened on Midgard had changed Fandral, at the feast he was quite, turning the shield that he had be awarded over in his hands, the inscription of Fandral, sword raised at the nine headed dragon, it made Fandral's stomach churn. He had grown far more outgoing than previous, earning the name Fandral the Dashing for his fine features and alluring nature and fine golden hair even Freya envied, in training he was boisterous and often showed off much to the joy of the admires that followed him around. But Sif noticed when he thought no one was looking he looked saddened, when she asked what was wrong he laughed and said she was mistaken, this only infuriated Sif and she vowed never to speak to the pig headed Fandral unless it was life or death.

As the months moved on Sif became famous with her adventures with the Warriors Three and the Asgardian princes, but there was gossip moving around Asgard that something had happened between Sif and Fandral on Midgard, but nobody dared ask. Sif normally would of cast these rumours aside but they did hold a grain of truth, something had happened between her and Fandral in Midgard but what? Sif was a lady on a mission.

Fandral waved off another admirer as he entered his chambers "not tonight m'lady, surely you have worn me out enough for one night!" she giggled and went her way. Fandral shut and locked the door, sighing with relief at being alone, his keen icy blue eyes trailed around the room as something was off. The shield made of Gorinwinch's hide was not in its normal place, hidden from view on the floor but mounted as it intened to be on the wall. "Who is here? How dare you enter my chambers!" Fandral snarled to the darkness, striding across the room and ripping the shield off the wall.

Sif stepped out of the shadows "I should of known that you would notice my presences" her hazel eyes narrowed on his "why do you not wish to display your triumph over the dragon, Fandral?"

Fandral glared at her "Tis none of your business Sif, please leave before castle tongues begin to wag".

"Nay I shall not leave until I got what I came for"

"And what prey tell is that, m'lady?" Fandral worked his jaw, angry that she had not spoken to him in months and cared to wonder what was wrong with HIM

Sif did not waver her intense gaze but her voice was just a whisper "what happened on Midgard Fandral? And I do not mean what we have been saying… for something entirely different happened did it not?"

Fandral anger just washed away from him, he felt as if all the hate and sadness that had built up over the months just poured out "Sif…" he refused to look at her but felt her gaze bore holes into him "…I cannot say for I do not fully know myself, I believe we shall never know what truly happened" he heard her step closer, he flinched expecting a slap for what she would assume was a lie but instead of the stinging pain of a slap across his cheek there was a kiss, soft as a butterfly's touch. Fandral was in awe, someone who had worked her whole life to be seen as made of stone was gentle as a cat…

"Thank you Fandral" Sif whispered before leaving the room in a rush. Fandral was left standing there, his hand lightly touching the place upon his cheek where she had kissed him, maybe Sif was not a stone carving or a house cat, she was the Asgardian Tigress for there was no other way to explain her, did she know she was not carved out of stone?

Fandral bent and retrieved the shield that was lying on the floor, he swore as a stray pin that had hung the shield upon the way cut his finger, golden blood oozed from the wound, Fandral looked to the shield and used his blood to change the image of him slaying Gorinwinch, to him begging for Sif's life to the nine headed dragon.


End file.
